The few trails of mud and bags filled with debris on the sidewalks are the most recent vestiges of the disaster that hit Montreal’s Centre-Sud on Friday. For residents of the neighbourhood who had their feet in the water the day before, it is now time to clean up.
The sound of pumping equipment was still echoing through the small streets of Centre-Sud on Saturday morning, as workers worked to evacuate the last of the water in the neighbourhood. The day before, the rupture of an 84-inch diameter pipe flooded the neighbourhood and filled the basements of many residents with water.
Acacia Martin woke up early to start cleaning the semi-basement apartment she owns.
“The tenant went to her boyfriend’s for the weekend and maybe a little longer, to give it time to dry, the humidity to go away and the work to be done,” she explains.
The walls of the semi-basement and the stairs leading up to it have been badly damaged by water. For now, it’s a race against time for this owner who fears that mold will spread if the cleaning and drying of the premises are not done quickly enough.
PHOTO JOSIE DESMARAIS, THE PRESS
A dwelling was emptied on Dorion Street.
Her partner apparently tried in vain to contact their insurance company, but the numerous disasters that hit Quebec the previous weekend do not seem to have helped them in their efforts.
It seems like with everything going on right now they are hard to get a hold of. So we didn’t wait for them go to cut the walls, because otherwise it would cause mold and it would be worse.
Acacia Martin, owner of a flooded apartment
Acacia Martin highlights the difficulty she had in obtaining fans and dehumidifiers in stores in the metropolis. She had to contact her relatives to try to recover as much of this essential equipment as possible to counter the appearance of mold.
Several weeks before a return to normal
The administrative spokesperson for the City of Montreal, Philippe Sabourin, explains that it will take several more weeks before the pre-stressed concrete pipe that caused the flooding is repaired.
PHOTO JOSIE DESMARAIS, THE PRESS
The administrative spokesperson for the City of Montreal, Philippe Sabourin
We are talking about a few weeks of repairs, due to the lack of availability of parts in the very short term.
Philippe Sabourin, administrative spokesperson for the City of Montreal
On Saturday morning, all streets were reopened to traffic, except for the section of René-Lévesque Boulevard between Notre-Dame Street and De Lorimier Avenue, which should remain closed for a good part of the weekend.
The 84-inch pipe ruptured and damaged a secondary water distribution line and a secondary sewer. Both lines are expected to be repaired this weekend.
“Our goal is to restore the damaged elements and then reopen as quickly as possible. [ce tronçon à la circulation] ” explains Mr. Sabourin.
PHOTO JOSIE DESMARAIS, THE PRESS
Workers at work at the foot of the Jacques-Cartier Bridge at the corner of René-Lévesque Boulevard and De Lorimier Avenue
In total, no fewer than 150,000 people were affected, or nearly 30,000 doors in the sector.
The large amounts of water lost due to the pipe break have caused a drop in the levels in the City’s reservoirs, which has resulted in a drop in pressure in the water supply system. This pressure is essential to prevent contaminants from entering the water system.
The preventive boil water advisory for residents located between the Jacques-Cartier Bridge, the far east of Montreal and the south of Sherbrooke Street should therefore remain in effect at least until Monday, the time it takes for the City to carry out the two tests that will allow the water quality to be assessed.
We take zero chances when it comes to water quality in Montreal.
Philippe Sabourin, administrative spokesperson for the City of Montreal
“We avoided the worst”
According to the City, investments in recent years have made it possible to reduce as much as possible the consequences for the population of such a rupture. The development of knowledge over the last 20 years about the network has also allowed municipal teams to “quickly” close the valve and thus contain the leak.
“We avoided the worst thanks to investments in recent years,” says Philippe Sabourin. “Twenty years ago, we could not have done without an 84-inch pipeline, because it would have had major and dramatic consequences for the population.”
According to him, the presence of the Rosemont reservoir and the “Eastern loop” have helped avoid a shortage of drinking water for residents. Mr. Sabourin adds that the maintenance of the network in recent years has also helped halve the number of breaks per 100 kilometres.
The Ville-Marie borough is mobilizing
PHOTO JOSIE DESMARAIS, THE PRESS
Workers remove damaged equipment from Télé-Québec premises.
To help residents affected by the flooding caused by the burst pipe, the Ville-Marie borough has set up a collection of items they want to get rid of. It is thus possible to place debris and objects on the side of the street so that the City’s teams can come and remove them.
Philippe Sabourin explains that the complaints office is also available to residents if needed.
Each disaster victim has 15 days following the date of the event to submit a claim, even if it is incomplete. However, Mr. Sabourin invites people to contact their insurer first.
Read “What Happened?”
Read Maxime Bergeron’s column: “Black summer for the water supply network”